They’re going to overtime at The Verizon Center in DC. Twenty years prior, another series between the Flyers and Capitals required sudden death to decide before Dale Hunter won it 5-4 on a breakaway.

Will history repeat itself for Alex Ovechkin and the Caps tonight? His ridiculous rocket is why Game Seven is tied 2-2.

As Dave Strader mentioned on Versus, this will be the 30th Stanley Cup Playoff Game Seven to go to OT. Who will be the hero?

I’m going to pick a player from each side before it begins.

Flyers- I’ll go with Daniel Briere. He’s been dangerous all game and leads the playoffs with 10 points including six goals.

Capitals- Most would go with logic and take Ovechkin as he’s been flying all night long. I’ll go with his Russian comrade Alexander Semin as he’s had some good chances.

We’ll see if I know what I’m talking about.

All Photos Copyright Getty Images

If you love great hockey, then most of this first round has been riveting. We had one Game Seven tonight between Original Six Northeast rivals Boston and Montreal. Thanks to another Flyer-esque collapse, there will be a couple of more deciding series later tonight!

Had the Bruins completed the comeback from 3-1 down against Les Habitants for the first time in franchise history, it would’ve been a no brainer to lead with that. However, that didn’t transpire as a more focused top seeded Montreal squad had what it took getting splendid netminding from rookie Carey Price and inspired play by the Kostistyn brothers and Alex Kovalev to eliminate Boston 5-0 before an electric Bell Centre towel waving crowd.

More on this later.

For much of the first round, the Flyers had bottled up Alex Ovechkin limiting the league’s leading scorer to just one goal. The 22 year-old Russian responded by ratcheting up his physical game helping the Caps stay alive the other day with a 3-2 Game Five home win. Having been shutout four consecutive games, Ovechkin finally came through when his desperate team needed it most tallying twice in the third period putting an exclamation point on four unanswered goals by his team in a 4-2 Game Six win before a stunned Sea of Orange at Wachovia Center.

The Flyers built a 2-0 lead thanks to power play goals from Mike Richards and series leading scorer Daniel Briere. Down a couple, the third seeded Caps never panicked. They started to carry the play in the second and got rewarded. First, rookie Nicklas Backstrom finished off a nifty passing play from Alexander Semin to slice the deficit in half with 10:26 left. Less than nine minutes later, Semin tied it at 18:03 when he easily put home a John Erskine rebound.

With the Flyer crowd becoming a little more edgy, (wouldn’t you be given their recent history?) their worst fears were realized when Ovechkin beat Martin Biron on a clean breakaway 2:46 into the third. The deciding tally was made possible by some excellent defensive work by <gulp> Viktor Kozlov. The lanky Russian enigma broke up a good Flyer opportunity and then made a perfect stretch pass to spring Ovechkin. He broke in from the Flyer blueline and went to his bread and butter deking Biron going forehand top shelf to give his team their first lead.

“All year I didn’t have a chance to score on a breakaway,” the 65-goal regular season scorer told the AP.

“I probably had one goal on a breakaway, I did what I always do and thank God it worked.”

“It’s Hollywood here and the script said he wins the game,” pointed out pumped Caps owner Ted Leonsis.

Philly tried to get back in it but ex-Hab netminder Cristobal Huet was solid turning aside all eight of their shots to finish as the game’s Second Star with 33 saves. An undisciplined Flyer bench minor for too many men proved costly when Sergei Fedorov and Brooks Laich combined to setup a laser of a one-timer from Ovechkin which made it 4-2 with 9:19 to go.

From there, the Caps would hold on to force Game Seven which is Tuesday night back in the nation’s capital. Washington will attempt to become the 21st team to rally back from a 3-1 deficit. Oddly enough, the only time in franchise they history they turned the trick was 20 years ago against those Flyers back when each was in the Patrick Division with Dale Hunter netting an OT goal.

That can’t be too comforting for Flyer fans.

“We just got away from our game,” Richards lamented . “Now, tomorrow night’s desperation time.”

“There is still another chance,” a philosophical Briere noted. “We have to forget what happened and leave it all on the ice over there. We know we can win there, we did it earlier in the series. That is all we have to think about.”

The Flyers will try to have short memories later tonight in the first of two Game Sevens which concludes the First Round. The Sharks will play host to the Flames in the second game which decides who moves on and who books tee times.

As for the Bruins, they tried hard but just couldn’t find that first goal on Price which might’ve made all the difference. Despite a decided edge in play (11-8 SOG edge), they trailed after 20 minutes 1-0 on Mike Komisarek’s goal 3:31 in from Kovalev and Saku Koivu which deflected off a Boston player past Tim Thomas.

Price thwarted attacking Bruins including a crucial stop from in close on Phil Kessel which kept his team ahead. He got more support from Mark Streit in the second when the two-way threat made Boston captain Zdeno Chara look like a traffic cone before opening up Thomas five-hole for a two-goal Habs’s lead more than halfway thru.

It only got worse for Chara who took a penalty which led to Andrei Kostistyn’s tally from in close as the big defenseman stepped out of the box. Taking a tough pass from brother Sergei, he was able to get his shot off between two defenders beating Thomas for 3-0 at 15:13.

Game. Set. Match. Sure, Claude Julien’s Bruins had exploded for eight goals (four each) in the third of the past two wins to extend this series and give themselves a 21st shot at finally coming back triumphant from a 3-1 hole.

But any rational person knew that wasn’t happening before rabid Habs fans who I’m told by my good Montreal buddy rioted in the streets. Apparently, one series win did a little too much to their brains.

Goals by both Kostistyns late in a game they dominated put the stamp on Montreal’s 5-0 deciding game victory. The top seeds live for another round getting quality performances from all their best players including Chris Higgins, who despite no points was a beast along the walls on a reconstructed line with Koivu and Kovalev. They had chemistry because they played together last season. The Kostistyns worked with Tomas Plekanec, who notched a primary helper on Sergei Kostistyn’s third with eight seconds left.

The Kostistyns combined for three goals, two assists and a plus-four rating. Kovalev, who also was quiet last game with a minus-three responded with two helpers and a plus-two rating in improving to 6-0 lifetime in Game Sevens.

Price recorded his second shutout of the series stopping all 25 Boston offerings. Now it’s onto Round Two.

With the Caps and Flyers going seven and Montreal winning, the Rangers will play either the Canadiens or Penguins in the Eastern Conference Semis which won’t get underway till Thursday or Friday.

If Washington wins, then all three top East seeds advance which would setup another Original Six battle between the Canadiens and Rangers. The Caps would start on the road at second seeded Pittsburgh.

However, if the sixth seeded Flyers prevail tonight, then they’d visit Montreal leaving an all Atlantic battle between the fifth seeded Blueshirts and No.2 seeded Pens.

Get all that? We’ll see how it plays out later tonight.

A couple of years ago, Ranger coach Tom Renney didn’t do his team any favors by going public about their opponents’ tendency to embellish penalties against his club. Not surprisingly, it came off wrong looking like a built in excuse for why the Rangers were handled by the Hudson rival Devils, who ironically enough are the same first round opponent two years later.

If there was a valuable lesson learned from that rough experience in which the Devils swept Renney’s team out of the playoffs, it was that the affable coach’s complaints didn’t help his team. Jaromir Jagr also lost his cool near the end of Game One going out of character to try to punch then opponent Scott Gomez injuring himself and any realistic chance a thin Ranger offense had of competing against a more well balanced and experienced Devil club that Spring.

Lesson learned. The second time around, Renney has taken a different tact with the officials in the fifth Battle of Hudson. This series has had its share of questionable calls for both sides in a very physical and intense match-up. If there’s been one noticeable change from two years prior, it’s the Rangers’ willingness to compete against an opponent whose reputation has always been to bang around and get dirty.

In particular, it’s been the Blueshirts’ more aggressive game plan of going hard to the net which has paid off driving Martin Brodeur nuts no matter what he says. It can’t be easy for the three-time Stanley Cup winner when pesky Rangers such as Ryan Callahan and nemesis Sean Avery are in his face constantly. Heck. Even the perimeter oriented Jagr stepped out of character the other night and took the puck hard to the net accidentally kneeing the Devils’ best player as he went by.

On the play, No.68 was properly given a goalie interference call while Brodeur got an unsportsmanlike conduct for diving. The three-time Vezina winner does have a tendency to overdo it when players come near his crease. However, I’ve seen worse than what happened in that instance where he got nabbed.

In Game Four, Avery also drove hard to the net being hauled down by Devil defenseman Colin White sliding into his “best friend.” Sure, he was pulled down and the momentum carried him towards the net but you always have to wonder with Avery. He tends to accentuate.

When the hard fought game had concluded in which his team fell short to fall behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series, first-year Devil coach Brent Sutter questioned the Rangers’ tactics. He had to stick up for his star player, who needs all the help he can get with a defense which has allowed their opponent to get to the dirty areas too easily.

If you heard or watched Brodeur’s postgame commentary Wednesday night, then you know he wasn’t overly happy with his team’s play. They were guilty of lazy turnovers which the Rangers turned into goals including Marc Staal’s winner. Instead of taking issue with how the games have been called, the franchise netminder credited his opponent for their aggressiveness.

Translation: His teammates aren’t getting it done. They’ll need to battle harder if they’re to extend the series tonight.

While Brodeur hasn’t complained, Sutter’s commentary after Game Four was heard loud and clear by Renney, who wisely took the high road even ignoring a Zach Parise play which saw the gritty Dev knock Henrik Lundqvist’s stick out leading to Mike Mottau’s tying goal. John Dellapina of the Daily News had a good article on the hot topic as the Rangers aim to eliminate their archrival tonight in Newark.

On the subject, Renney brought up some valid observations:

“Let’s not make too much out of this. Both teams play hard. The net is the end point. What are we supposed to do, just stand off to the side and throw pucks at him? It’s not the way the game’s played. Both teams and 16 teams are doing the same thing.

“That’s how you play. That’s how you win at this stage. … The one thing we know for sure is that we’ve never said to our guys, ‘Go after Marty Brodeur.’ We’ve never, ever preached that as a coaching staff. And we probably never would, with anybody.“

Such a poignant response was definitely the right way to go. Especially with his team a game away from the second round. There will always be lots of talking during playoff series. However, it’s how you handle adversity which ultimately decides whether your team advances.

Thus far, Renney’s team has dealt with the elements better than Sutter’s club. We’ll see if they have the killer instinct needed to finish a pesky opponent off in Game Five.

All Photos Copyright Getty Images

Normally, one wouldn’t think an eight seed has a shot at coming back. Especially from the 3-1 hole ex-Montreal coach Claude Julien’s Bruins entered last night in before outscoring the home Habs 4-0 in the deciding period to post a 5-1 Game Five road win.

Given how well Boston played while facing elimination along with how shaky 20 year-old rookie netminder Carey Price was, it’s hard not to like the Bruins’ chances of forcing a seventh and deciding game over the weekend. Have you ever seen a goalie come apart quite like that? Oh. It’s happened before. Just usually by more experienced ones than the kid who earlier in the third had supporters chanting, “Car—ey, Car—ey, Car—ey” before his unreal gaffe led to Montreal’s demise.

As Price made a fine glove stop to foil a Boston chance in a 1-1 game, for some reason he decided to play the puck with two attacking Bruins close by. By the time he realized his folly, it was too late as an opportunistic Glen Metropolit got just enough of the disc to put it by the scrambling goalie for a 2-1 Boston lead before a stunned Bell Centre.

Metropolit’s big goal opened the floodgates. There would be no signature, “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants on this night. More like ole ole for how unglued the Canadiens became. An undisciplined Sergei Kostistyn penalty in the offensive zone led directly to Boston captain Zdeno Chara’s first of the series coming 2:18 later which gave the B’s a 3-1 lead.

The Habs would also squander a couple of power play chances to get back in it. Once again, the Bruins had the right recipe in killing off all four Montreal power plays. In fact, the league’s highest ranked PP during the regular season gave up a crushing shorthanded goal to Marco Sturm, who beat Price from 40 feet out with a perfect wrister off the far post.

A Vladimir Sobotka tally from an awful angle in which he just threw a softie on net showed just how fractured Price was. Why did Guy Carbonneau even leave him in? There was just 2:12 on the clock. May as well have let the kid get the rest of the night off and regroup.

Instead, plenty of questions will arise during the off day by the crazy Montreal and Canadian media. How will Price respond Saturday night in Beantown?

Don’t be surprised if there’s a Game Seven. These B’s have fared well and are playing with confidence. Tim Thomas also finished a stellar night in net making 31 saves earning the game’s Second Star.  

In the other Eastern Conference series, Mike Knuble’s double overtime winner put the Capitals on the brink. Despite some highlight reel stops including a strong denial of Knuble’s wide open one-timer from in front, Cristobal Huet couldn’t save his rebound which made the Flyers 4-3 comeback winners in Game Four before a screaming sea of orange.

Washington played better than in Game Three but ultimately were done in by a mistimed bench minor for too many men on the ice which red hot Flyer Daniel Briere cashed to tie the game with 9:59 left in regulation.

Both teams had golden opportunities to take the lead but didn’t have what it took to beat either goalie as both Huet (diving glove stops) and Martin Biron (big glove save from in tight) were up to the task.

Neither team budged in the first OT forcing it to a second leading to Knuble’s heroics. Setup by linemates Jeff Carter (two goals, helper) and Scottie Upshall (2 A), the ex-Ranger got two whacks at it before burying his second past a helpless Huet with Alex Ovechkin standing around.

Not quite what the league’s leading scorer had in mind for his first playoff series unless the suddenly ice cold Russian’s planning a miraculous comeback. Sure. AO assisted on two of the Caps’ goals but one shot in 28:00 isn’t cutting it. He better start hitting the net by Saturday or his team is likely going home for good.

There were three games out West. I only caught the majority of Flames-Sharks. San Jose got two Jonathan Cheechoo goals 3:30 apart early in the third to hold off Calgary 4-3 in Game Five moving them within a win of the second round.

Calgary did rally for two goals including David Moss’ first on a stuff in which sliced the deficit down to one with 77 seconds left from Jarome Iginla with Miikka Kiprusoff pulled. However, they were unable to get another quality chance on Evgeni Nabokov, who finished with 33 saves.

Very questionable was Mike Keenan’s decision to only play Kristian Huselius sparingly including just a few shifts in the third while giving veteran Owen Nolan nearly eight more total minutes of ice-time. I like Nolan but come on. There’s not much margin for error in the playoffs.

Huselius needs more ice-time and Alex Tanguay must score if the Flames are to extend the series a seventh game.

Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny’s goals in a 79 second span lifted the Avalanche to a 3-2 Game Five road victory over the Wild, who now must win in Denver to force Game Seven.

The difference was Jose Theodore, who turned back the clock making 38 saves to stone the host Wild in a game which saw them limit Colorado to just 17 shots. The Avs are a skilled team and went two-for-three on the man-advantage. With Minny sniper Marian Gaborik again shutout, his teammates couldn’t overcome it. Brian Rolston’s goal and helper weren’t enough.

Unless Gaborik finds his offense, this series is likely over.

Also moving within a win of Round Two were the Stars, who got a superb effort from Marty Turco (27 saves, 1st Star) to shutdown the Ducks 3-1 in Game Four. Joel Lundqvist, Stu Barnes and Steve Ott tallied for Dallas before Mathieu Schneider broke Turco’s shutout bid with eight seconds to go.

The defending champions have their backs to the wall. They did get leading finisher Corey Perry back. They’ll need more offense to stave off a disappointing first round elimination on home ice.

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Just call it sweet redemption. Three nights after helplessly seeing John Madden’s centering pass go off his skate before he could react which got the Devils back in the series, Ranger rookie defenseman Marc Staal struck late in more conventional fashion burning the Hudson rival in an entertaining 5-3 Game Four victory before a loud Garden last night.

As fellow Devil blogger Hasan already stated, three times a desperate Devil club cameback to tie this topsy turvy game. When one-time Ranger Mike Mottau made a nifty move and fired past a stickless Henrik Lundqvist 4:37 into the third, the game was again up for grabs tied at three.

At that point, I had plenty of doubts watching this unpredictable contest. How many times could the Rangers establish a lead before falling flat? Would the Devils finally make them pay for not putting them away? They came close a couple of times following Mottau’s goal. First, Paul Martin went through two Rangers like the parting of the Red Sea and walked in on a shaky Lundqvist but the Ranger netminder foiled his attempt. Next it was Madden’s turn as he found another hole to get off a backhand a few feet away but Lundqvist shut the door.

For as scary as the third-year Ranger in goal looked, when push came to shove he kept his team afloat when they needed it most. Otherwise it would’ve been a fourth straight win for the road team in this series and 2-2 headed back to Newark tomorrow.

Instead, the Blueshirts recovered playing a strong final six minutes which included Staal’s deciding tally with 3:13 remaining to take a 3-1 series lead, pushing the Devils on the brink.

By now, you know the facts. Only nine percent of NHL teams in a 3-1 hole have rallied to win a series. New Jersey still has a few players left from the 2000 Stanley Cup team which were in this predicament when they found a way to win twice in Philly sandwiched around a home win including a dramatic one-goal triumph in Game Seven off the stick of Patrik Elias, who coincidentally has been their best player in this series. Though his brutal giveaway led to Staal’s goal tarnishing a two-goal performance.

The other Devils who were on that team are Madden, Jay Pandolfo, Sergei Brylin, Colin White and of course Martin Brodeur.

Can it be done? Certainly. If the Devils elevate their game limiting mistakes and the Rangers let down, anything can happen. It would be wise for Tom Renney’s club to come out strong tomorrow at an arena they seem to play their best hockey at. If you have a team down, finish them off. Especially when it’s a resilient bunch like the Devs, who will never give up.

The fourth one is always the toughest to get. It’s about having that killer instinct. Scoring early would certainly help the cause. With all three teams netting the first goal in wins last night, that makes it 22 of 27 games this first round which have seen the team which scores first come out on top. In case you’re doing the math, that’s 81.5 percent.

Game Five is tomorrow night at The Prudential Center with a special start time of 7:30.

A few other observations on last night:

-Chris Drury played his best game of the series, netting an important goal off a nifty redirect of a Fedor Tyutin shot. He also tallied an assist.

-Speaking of Tyutin, twice he kept pucks in which led to Ranger goals. He hasn’t played well this series but was a little stronger last night in his end.

-Scott Gomez scored his first two of the series. Once on a great pass by Dan Girardi finishing off a power play goal which set the tone. The other was the empty netter. It looked like he got his stick on the puck while going forward to beat Madden. In any event, the former Devil leads all players with six points (2-4-6) in the four games. They must’ve taken away an assist because I thought he had seven. Maybe the scoring of the Sean Avery Game Two winner was changed.

-Much has been made of the Rangers’ strategy against Brodeur going to the edge of the crease and bumping into him. In particular, this Jaromir Jagr collision has been overblown. While on the man-advantage, No.68 took the puck hard to the net which is a rarity. From my vantage point in watching the replays, it appeared that he was trying to avoid Brodeur and step around there. The problem was that there wasn’t enough room.

I’ve already been yelled at by one of my Devil buddies online. Jagr’s never been a dirty player. While his reputation has come into question, it’s usually on the defensive side of the puck or work ethic. He’s answered the bell this series and played quite well with a goal and four helpers. I’m sure if it was say Avery, Brodeur would’ve been irate. Fact is the future Hall of Fame netminder got up, collected himself and didn’t look visibly upset. I just don’t believe Jagr would intentionally knee a guy he respects. This isn’t Jarkko Ruutu.

On the same topic, first-year Devil coach Brent Sutter voiced his displeasure with the Ranger strategy including one in which Avery was taken down by White and fell right into Brodeur. On the play which drew a penalty, Avery used his superior speed to go around White. The big physical defender then hauled the attacking Ranger down, who kept going sliding into the Devil goalie. Anyone who knows Avery has seen this before. Could he have stopped his momentum? I don’t really know. He has a tendency to take the puck hard to the net and fall after being tripped. Would it shock me if it were intentional? Hardly.

I could see why that would tick Sutter off. Avery pushes the envelope and has a few screws loose.

-Speaking of Avery, can anyone explain why Renney didn’t put the agitating winger out there during a four minute power play which did absolutely zilch in a tie game during the second? Terrible decision making by the coach which could’ve comeback to haunt them.

-Brendan Shanahan shouldn’t be getting as much power play time anymore. He’s looked old in this series.

-It was very uncharacteristic to see the Devils turn over the puck leading to so many Ranger goals. Especially when it was their best players. You don’t expect Elias and Zach Parise to make such weak clearing attempts. They know better and were challenged by their demanding coach afterwards.

-Brandon Dubinsky had another strong game, picking up a primary helper on a nice setup of a Marty Straka tally off a two-on-one. He really has given the Devils fits. They are having trouble dealing with Dubi’s size and speed. He’s an excellent skater who fights through checks and is very tough on the forecheck. The rookie pivot continues to mesh well with Jagr and Straka combining to form a dangerous top line.

-Straka had his best night tallying a goal and assist. He really was effective on the cycle keeping plays alive. His nice cross pass setup Staal’s left point blast, which proved to be the winner.

-Lundqvist did come up with one big save late denying the tricky Parise’s backhand with about 2:35 left. The pesky Devil snuck through but the Ranger No.1 got just enough of his stick on it to push it over the top of the net.

-The Devils need a lot more from Brian Gionta. Much like the regular season, he’s failed to score on Lundqvist and has just not found the right chemistry with Madden or Pandolfo. Maybe it’s time for Sutter to mix up his line combos as Travis Zajac needs scorers on his line instead of stone hands. A Dainius Zubrus-Zajac-Gionta combo wouldn’t be a bad suggestion for tomorrow’s game. That would allow Sutter to keep Parise-Elias-Jamie Langenbrunner intact. He could then shift either Brylin or David Clarkson to the Madden line. Mike Rupp and Arron Asham could play with either on the fourth line.

-Speaking of fourth lines, the Ranger trio of Ryan Hollweg, Blair Betts and Fredrik Sjostrom played well for a second consecutive game. Each has been doing a solid job on the cycle taking the body and working diligently. If there’s been one positive change for the better from Renney, it’s that he’s not overusing that line opting to give more ice-time to his other three scoring lines. Smart move.

-Sutter got his point across last night but why haven’t we heard anything about the three instances in which the Devils got away with having an extra man out there the past two games? How come nothing on the mugging behind the Devil net before Mottau’s tying goal? Parise also knocked Lundqvist’s stick out on the goal. Were those not penalties? Not to sound like a broken record but the officiating has been equally poor for both teams during this series.

-In case you missed it, the Pens completed a sweep of the Senators posting a 3-1 win in Ottawa last night with goals from Evgeni Malkin, Ruutu and Sidney Crosby. They’re the first team to advance to the Conference Semis.

-The Preds also evened their series with the top seeded Wings last night holding on for a 3-2 win. Greg de Vries’ goal 11 seconds after Pavel Datsyuk’s first of the game stood as the winner. If Nashville somehow comes back from 0-2 down to win this series, Detroit can only point to that brutal nine seconds in Game Three where a one-goal lead turned into a brutal loss.

Tonight marks a week since the NHL postseason began. There are three series in action with the Battle of Hudson continuing at The Garden for an all important Game Four between the Devils and Rangers. A New Jersey win would knot the series and give them back home ice. A Ranger win would put them up 3-1 one game away from Round Two. The road team has owned the series thus far. Will that trend continue?

Also, the second seeded Pens go for a sweep of a depleted Senator team. Last year, the Sens KO’d the inexperienced Penguins in five. This time, it looks like Pitt will turn the tables.

Out West, the Predators aim to tie their series against the top seeded Red Wings. Game Three saw them get two goals nine seconds apart including Jason Arnott’s slapshot winner to go from being on the brink to back in it. Now, they’ll try to duplicate that win and put some pressure on Detroit.

Here are today’s key info and articles courtesy of The NHL Today:

THE SCHEDULE
– Game 4: Penguins at Senators, 7 p.m. (RDS, CBC) (Penguins lead series 3-0)
– Game 4: Devils at Rangers, 7 p.m. (VERSUS, TSN) (Rangers lead series 2-1)
– Game 4: Red Wings at Predators, 9 p.m. (CBC, RDS, VERSUS) (Red Wings lead series 2-1)

THE SCORES
– Game 4: Canadiens 1, Bruins 0 (Canadiens lead series 3-1)
– Game 3: Flyers 6, Capitals 3 (Flyers lead series 2-1)
– Game 3: Ducks 4, Stars 2 (Stars lead series 2-1)
– Game 4: Sharks 3, Flames 2 (Series tied 2-2)
– Game 4: Avalanche 5, Wild 1 (Series tied 2-2)

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF MEDIA WEBSITE NOW LIVE
To assist media members covering the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the National Hockey League’s Communications Department has created www.stanleycupplayoffs2008.com, a ‘one-stop shopping’ website that provides story lines for each series, statistical previews and other features, including a fully searchable version of Total Stanley Cup, the 2008 NHL Playoff Media Guide. In addition to providing new information at the start of each round, www.stanleycupplayoffs2008.com will be updated on a regular basis.

THE STORIES

SHARKS BITE AT THE RIGHT TIME
David Pollak writes in the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, “For two days the Sharks had to live with the consequences of their Game 3 loss in enemy territory. Their physical and mental toughness was questioned. So was their heart. Then, on a deflection goal by center Joe Thornton with fewer than 10 seconds left in the game, they dramatically answered their critics Tuesday night by crafting a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames that sends their series back to San Jose tied at two games each. Thornton’s goal capped a stunning reversal for the Sharks, who trailed 2-1 with fewer than five minutes left, their only goal coming off a deflection by left wing Ryane Clowe. Then Jonathan Cheechoo tied the game at 15:06, giving Thornton the opportunity to win it.”

– Watch the highlights on NHL Network Online.

CANADIENS’ PRICE PUTS BRUINS ON THE BRINK
Pat Hickey writes in the MONTREAL GAZETTE, “A perfect blend of young and old has given the Canadiens a chance to clinch their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Boston Bruins on home ice tomorrow night. The young was 20-year-old goaltender Carey Price. The youngest player on the Canadiens roster added to his legend as he made 27 saves for his first National Hockey League playoff shutout in Montreal’s 1-0 Game 4 win over Boston. The old would be 37-year-old defenceman Patrice Brisebois. The oldest Canadien scored the game’s only goal, tucking the puck beneath the crossbar on a power-play goal at 19:18 of the second period.”

– Watch the highlights on NHL Network Online.

FROM THE STAT WIZARDS AT ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU
Carey Price is the first rookie to record a shutout in a 1-0 playoff game since Evgeni Nabokov did it for the Sharks in 2001, and he’s the fifth rookie in Montreal history to do it, joining Patrick Roy (1986), Steve Penney (1985), Gerry McNeil (1951) and George Hainsworth (1927).

FLYERS’ BRIERE LIVING UP TO EXPECTATIONS
Ed Moran writes in the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, “So many times during the regular season, Daniel Briere could be found sitting at his practice stall quietly answering questions about his season. Why aren’t you scoring? Are you worried?…In the first three games of the opening-round series against Washington, the smallish French-Canadian center has been at all times a threat, a pest, a competitor and the linchpin to the Flyers’ offense. Briere had two goals and an assist in the Flyers’ 6-3 win over the Capitals in the Wachovia Center last night, bringing his total in the first three games to four.”

– Watch the highlights on NHL Network Online.

FROM THE STAT WIZARDS AT ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU
The Flyers’ Mike Richards scored his first career playoff goal last night on a penalty shot. Richards is only the second player in NHL history whose first postseason goal came on a penalty shot. Wayne Connelly did that for the Minnesota North Stars in 1968.

NO OVERTIME NEEDED THIS TIME FOR AVS
Adrian Dater writes in the DENVER POST, “No bounces in off their skates this time. No funny hops behind the net. No more blown leads and no more overtime. Just one big, long party at the Pepsi Center for the Avalanche and its fans Tuesday night. Dominating in all phases of the game, the Avs hammered the Minnesota Wild 5-1 in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series, tying the series at two games apiece. If only the Avs could spread out some of the goals or bank some of the ease by which they scored them. Because things don’t figure to come as simply as they did in Game 5 at the Xcel Energy Center on Thursday night.”

– Watch the highlights on NHL Network Online.

DUCKS TAKE FLIGHT IN DALLAS
Eric Stephens writes in the LOS ANGELES TIMES, “Two days of the Ducks’ answering questions about the horrid performances in their first two games of the Western Conference quarterfinals was too much to take without some kind of retort. The emphatic answer was on the ice in Game 3. Shaking off blowout losses to the Dallas Stars at home, the Ducks showed they would not let their defense of the Stanley Cup end without a fight in a 4-2 victory that pulled them back into the best-of-seven series.”

– Watch the highlights on NHL Network Online.
– Kostya Kennedy on the significance of the Ducks’ victory.

PENGUINS’ CROSBY AND MALKIN MAKE A STELLAR PAIR
Ron Cook writes in the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, “That is some game of Can You Top This? that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have going in these Stanley Cup playoffs. If you didn’t know better, you would think they are in a competition to be known as the best hockey player in the world.There are plenty of reasons the Penguins own a 3-0 series edge against the Ottawa Senators and can squash the last bit of life out of them in Game 4 tonight, but the greatness of Crosby and Malkin has to be near the top of the list.”

QUICK HITS
– Risto Pakarinen on the outbreak of ‘Ovechkin Fever‘ sweeping Moscow.
– Ross McKeon on the relationship between Jose Theodore and Avs goaltending coach Jeff Hackett.
– Milan Lucic answers fans’ questions on his playoff blog.

NHLPA & NHL AUCTION ALL-STAR MEMORABILIA TO BENEFIT HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hockey Fights Cancer, the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association are conducting a unique on-line auction of NHL All-Star themed memorabilia, with proceeds benefiting Hockey Fights Cancer. Autographed and game-worn items will be available for bidding through NHLPA.com and NHL.com beginning April 16, 2008 at 6:00 p.m., ET, and ending April 30, 2008 at 9:00 p.m., ET.

MEDIA BUZZ
Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller is serving as a special Stanley Cup Playoffs correspondent through a blog for Maxim.com and weekly radio segments for Maxim Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio (Wed. at 11 a.m. on Ch. 108).

ON THIS DATE IN PLAYOFF HISTORY
April 16, 1939 - Goaltender Frank Brimsek, alias “Mr. Zero”, allowed only one goal, his sixth in five Stanley Cup final games against Toronto, to lead the Boston Bruins past the Maple Leafs 3-1 to win the 1939 championship.

April 16, 1949 - The Toronto Maple Leafs swept the Detroit Red Wings to become the first NHL team to win three consecutive Stanley Cup titles (1947-49). The 3-1 series-ending victory also marked the Leafs’ ninth straight win in Final action.

April 16, 1953 - Assisted by linemate Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Elmer Lach scored the only goal in Game Five at 1:22 of overtime, and goalie Gerry McNeil blanked the Boston Bruins for the second time in three outings as the Montreal Canadiens earned the 1953 Stanley Cup championship.

April 16, 1954 - Tony Leswick’s Stanley Cup-winning tally was the second overtime goal ever scored in the seventh game of a Final series. Leswick, who notched the decisive goal at 4:29 of overtime in Detroit’s 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game Seven, matched the feat first accomplished by former Red Wings left winger Pete Babando in 1950.

April 16, 1961 - The Chicago Black Hawks earned their first Stanley Cup championship since 1938 and their third title since joining the NHL in 1926-27. The Black Hawks downed Detroit 5-1 to take the best-of-seven Final four games to two.

April 16, 2001 - Raymond Bourque set an NHL record for most years in the playoffs (21) by appearing for the Colorado Avalanche in Game Three of their best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final series against Vancouver. Bourque, who made his playoff debut in 1980 with Boston, passed the mark established by NHL great Gordie Howe.

Photo Copyright Getty Images

Evgeni Nabokov’s challenge after Game Three stood for quite a while. Finally, his teammates stepped to the forefront and transformed from boys to men (no not the cheesy do op R & B group which once was alright back in the day) coming back to take the all important Game Four over Calgary 3-2, squaring their best-of-seven first round series.

Jonathan Cheechoo’s tying goal with 4:54 left and Joe Thornton’s deciding marker with under 10 seconds to go was exactly what the doctor ordered, saving the No.2 seeded Sharks from falling behind 3-1 in the series a game away from elimination. Instead, they were rescued by their best players gaining home ice back.

In a game they somehow trailed by a goal late in the third despite a decided edge in play and shots, San Jose finally turned it up enough to get to Calgary No.1 goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. A couple of nights removed from being pulled after permitting three quick goals before his team made a stirring comeback with Curtis Joseph in net, the two-time Vezina winner was back to his stingy self denying Sharks at every turn.

Kipper’s stellar netminding looked like it would be enough to hold off a furious San Jose attack which saw them outshoot the Flames 32-10 including a combined 26-8 the final 40 minutes. However, the Sharks’ persistence finally paid off when Cheechoo saw a small opening and fired a quick wrister past Kiprusoff’s glove to tie the contest at 15:06. The hard work down low by linemates Joe Pavelski and rookie Devin Setoguchi allowed the San Jose finisher to get to a loose puck and tally his first of the postseason.

I could tell that the guys in the white and teal weren’t done. Instead of being satisfied, they kept coming after Calgary in wave after wave. The aggressive strategy resulted in Thornton’s winner before a stunned and dead silent Saddle Dome. Thanks to an outstanding shift in which they kept the Flames pinned in their end, energetic winger Ryane Clowe worked the puck to an open Doug Murray at the point, who shot without hesitation. The screening Thornton got just enough of it to tip it home for his first of the series.

A hooking minor on Calgary’s Kristian Huselius with five ticks left wrapped it up for the Sharks, who now will head back home to host the pivotal Game Five tomorrow night.

Just a gigantic win for a team which was once again being seriously doubted including by myself for taking them to the Cup Final. This was a nice character builder as they were able to overcome Jarome Iginla (goal, assist) and Dion Phaneuf (goal) along with deadline pickup Brian Campbell’s continued substandard play in his end. God. Did the Sabres know or what? With every shift he doesn’t compete hard defensively, that’s more money going by the wayside.

At least his more determined teammates were able to pick him up. The Sharks aren’t out of the woods by any stretch. But again, it’s hard to see Calgary prevailing when they continue to be severely outplayed by a wide margin. You have to figure they’re going to run out of gas.

We’ll see.

It was a busy Tuesday night with four other series going on. In one they had to have, the defending champion Ducks finally showed some life by getting the first four on Marty Turco before hanging on for a 4-2 Game Three victory to get back in their series. Chris Pronger scored twice including on a five-on-three for his first career two-goal playoff game. The defenseman also helped assist on Todd Marchant’s first which opened the scoring, restoring Anaheim’s confidence as they outscored Dallas 3-0 in sharp contrast to the first two back home.

Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and assist and Jean-Sebastien Giguere rebounded from a poor showing in Game Two with 31 saves including 12 big ones in a final stanza which saw Dallas make a late charge thanks to a pair of Brenden Morrow power play goals. Giguere wouldn’t allow them to draw closer even though they had a couple of more chances on the man-advantage.

Game Four is tomorrow night with the home team 0-for-3 in the series.

Also out West, the Avalanche used a three-goal first period barrage of their own to storm past the Wild 5-1 in Game Four to even their series at two apiece. The first three games of this very competitive series all wound up 3-2 with each needing sudden death. Since Joe Sakic’s Game One winner, the Wild had taken the last two off the sticks of Keith Carney and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

Last night though as Islander goalie Rick DiPietro predicted during a Versus segment, back-to-back games in the thin air was advantage Colorado who was more used to it. They completely outplayed the Wild scoring the first five on Niklas Backstrom who was relieved by Josh Harding in the third.

Deadline pickup Ruslan Salei had a goal and assist as did third line pivot Tyler Arnason. Jordan Leopold added a pair of helpers in a game which saw the Avs get 14 power plays converting twice. Not surprisingly, it got ugly with the frustrated Wild going to the box plenty as they lost their cool.

Figure Game Five tomorrow back at St. Paul to be a real barn burner.

In one of two Eastern Conference playoff games, the Flyers had a little too much for the Capitals, getting a late penalty shot goal from Mike Richards in a 6-3 home win before a crowd of orange who enjoyed seeing their team go up 2-1 in the series. Richards also made a great pass to setup Daniel Briere’s second of the night at 19:50 of the second on the power play. Briere tallied twice and has four goals in the series.

Though the Caps got a Brooks Laich goal with 4:34 left in regulation to cut the deficit to 4-3, they couldn’t get closer due to a poor read by one of their D which led to Richards beating Cristobal Huet on the penalty shot going five-hole with 2:59 to go. It looked like a pretty good call as he had a step on the defender.

Mike Knuble added an empty netter in a game the Flyers controlled with a 32-19 SOG edge. For the Caps, Alex Ovechkin tallied just a helper and Alexander Semin (assist, -2 rating) plus rookie pivot Nicklas Backstrom (no points, 1 SOG) struggled. They’ll need a stronger effort to level the series Thursday.

As for the other game, the Canadiens did what they needed to gaining a split in Boston with a 1-0 blanking of the Bruins. Only veteran defenseman Patrice Brisebois’ power play goal with 42 seconds left in the second made the scoresheet in what was a tightly contested game between the Original Six rivals.

His quick one-timer off a broken play beat Tim Thomas to give the top seeded Habs the edge they needed. The third saw the Habs buckle down allowing just six Boston shots as rookie Carey Price stopped all 27 for his first career NHL postseason shutout. The 20 year-old’s best save came with the game still scoreless when Game Three hero Marc Savard nicely setup Glen Murray in front but Price quickly slid across to make a tough stop look relatively easy.

The Habs can wrap up the 31st series between the close rivals tomorrow night in Montreal.

Later tonight, it’s Game Four between the Devils and Rangers at the Garden. See ya later!

Only in the NHL playoffs could a player suddenly have a rule named after him. Some might say that’s just Sean Avery being Sean Avery regarding his questionable conduct in front of the net against “good buddy” Martin Brodeur the other night at Madison Square Garden.

I’ve already given my view on Mr. Avery’s illegal screening which featured chaotic stick swinging during a Ranger two-man advantage in Game Three. I don’t approve of the Ranger antagonist’s actions as it crossed the line.

However, there are plenty of other opinions on the NHL’s thrifty response in creating Rule No.70. The Sean Avery rule.

My New York Hockey Report (NYHR) colleague NY SportsDay’s chief editor Joe McDonald had a different view on the issue while covering the fifth Battle of Hudson playoff series.

His article entitled, “The Avery Rule is a Slippery Slope“ raises some interesting points on what such a rule instituted in the middle of the playoffs can do.

Maybe McDonald’s best argument came here where he pointed out that changing rules on the fly during a postseason can create an absurd precedent:

A call to Glen Sather might have worked better or even letting things play out, since things seem to even out in the end. Instead the NHL chose to grandstand and issue a new decree, opening the door allowing for other possible rule changes on the fly as the need happens, creating a slippery slope in the process.

McDonald went on to conclude that if the Canadian press gets riled up, our league commish Gary Bettman can just snap his fingers at League VP Colin Campbell and change rules on the fly as seems fit.

In this extreme case, the New Jersey Devil organization got what they wanted. The question now becomes is it okay for other competing teams to complain until something is done during these playoffs. Should the Ranger organization file a complaint for a couple of the questionable penalties called against them the other night? What about the Too Many Men On The Ice minor late in regulation which was missed?

Separate matters entirely from the childish antics Avery pulled. Sometimes, calls will be missed during these intense playoff games. You just have to live with it. My only gripe is that if it’s okay for one team to vent and get their wish, then I guess there’s nothing wrong with the other demanding the stripes keep a closer eye on what the opponent is doing.

This is the playoffs. Bitch fests such as the classic overreaction by Devil GM Lou Lamoriello after Game Two shouldn’t be tolerated. Even if a couple of calls went against his team, Lamoriello deserved at least a fine. Instead, this weak ass league let it go. If the shoe was reversed, I guarantee Sather would’ve been fined for such nonsense because he’s not as well respected.

In the case of Avery versus Brodeur (not exactly Roe vs Wade), I believe the league did what needed to be done so it doesn’t happen again. However, I also can see what McDonald’s point is on the topic. These days, the NHL doesn’t have much backbone. They are so concerned with their image that they’ll make radical changes for the sake of saving face. No other league reacts quite the way they do.

Mr. McDonald is on to something here. Could they just have contacted Sather and gave fair warning of such actions by Avery wouldn’t be tolerated the next time? Absolutely.

My guess is that the league didn’t want to chance it because Mr. Avery is unlike any other NHL player. Though once league brass took note of his pregame routine against the Devils and Maple Leafs, the former King obliged and stopped mixing it up opting to do his talking on the ice.

Regardless, the Sean Avery Rule isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it makes it even more intriguing to see what transpires tomorrow night in Game Four and which team responds the best and takes the series.

We’ll be a curious spectator cheering on our respective team hoping there’s no more controversies the rest of the way.

It’s Day Six of these NHL playoffs and already we’ve had some very exciting games featuring unpredictable finishes. Last night saw three such contests take place with a couple requiring sudden death before the more desperate team which trailed 2-0 in their respective series found ways to prevail and get back in it.

The John Madden bizarre winner off Ranger defenseman Marc Staal has been covered plenty. However, Marc Savard’s heroics last night up in Beantown has not. In case you missed it, one of the game’s best playmaking pivots finally notched his first career playoff goal doing so in dramatic fashion to lift Boston to a 2-1 OT win over Les Habitants in Game Three. 

On a delayed call, the former Ranger came off the bench and took Dennis Wideman’s no-look backhand feed and beat rookie Carey Price to give the Bruins a measure of revenge before an energized Boston crowd which saw their team finally get a ‘W’ against the Habs. Montreal had taken the first 10 including all eight regular season meetings. But that no longer matters cause with one victory, the Bruins are alive and know one more win tomorrow can knot their series against a bitter Original Six rival.

For more on Savard’s big goal in only his third career postseason game, I highly recommend the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dumont’s piece on how truly special that tally was and why it took on extra meaning for Marc dating back to childhood.

That wasn’t the only other game quite a few of us might not have paid close attention to. If I weren’t so preoccupied posting my thoughts on last night’s tough OT loss once I got home, I might’ve checked out what was a stirring comeback win for the Flames at The SaddleDome.

When the WFAN update person said the Sharks led by three, I figured I’d just write instead. Little did I know that San Jose got the game’s opening three in just 3:33, the fastest such start nearly eight years to the day since Detroit did it in 3:32 on Apr.15, 2000.

Inspired by a lethal dirty clean hit by defenseman Cory Sarich on San Jose captain Patrick Marleau in the offensive zone, the Flames fought valiantly back after seeing franchise netminder Miikka Kiprusoff pulled in favor of veteran Curtis Joseph. A Jarome Iginla redirection of a Dion Phaneuf shot got the Flames within two before the first period concluded. Daymond Langkow’s second period power play tally got them within one. Phaneuf tied it when his shot went off San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic early in the third. It was just a matter of time before ex-Shark Owen Nolan scored with 3:45 left in regulation to complete the dramatic turnaround.

For more on this stirring comeback, Calgary Herald’s Jean Lefebvre had an excellent recap on Sarich’s inspiring hit which woke up his team in time to take a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven Western quarterfinal.

While the other three series Game Three’s were on tap, the second game between the Flyers and Caps took place yesterday afternoon. Philly had blown a 4-2 lead to lose Game One 5-4 on Alexander Ovechkin’s third period winner. This time however, they got the first two on Cristobal Huet off the sticks of R.J. Umberger and Jeff Carter. Martin Biron was much better in denying strong Cap opportunities stopping all 24 shots his way for a Game Two 2-0 blanking to level the series as it shifts back to Philadelphia. 

Biron’s big day postponed his wife’s procedure where his third baby was expected to be born earlier this morning. For more on the ex-Sabre’s happy time, Phil Sheridan of the Inquirer had a nice story on the proceedings.

The Devils knew they needed to take Game Three if they were to stand any realistic chance of winning the Battle of Hudson series. For Madden, just sitting in the hotel and watching playoff hockey coverage on the tube helped his team’s cause last night.

For more on that and what was an eventful night at MSG, Rich Chere of the Star Ledger had a good piece summing up the Devs’ hard fought 4-3 OT win well.

Here’s some more info courtesy of The NHL Today thanks to the very friendly nhlmedia site:

 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF MEDIA WEBSITE NOW LIVE
To assist media members covering the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the National Hockey League’s Communications Department has introduced www.stanleycupplayoffs2008.com, a ‘one-stop shopping’ website that provides story lines for each series, statistical previews and other features, including a fully searchable version of Total Stanley Cup, the 2008 NHL Playoff Media Guide. In addition to providing new information at the start of each round, www.stanleycupplayoffs2008.com will be updated on a regular basis.com/

WHATS NEW ON THE STANLEY CUP MEDIA WEBSITE
The Stanley Cup media website is a good resource for regularly updated interesting facts, milestones and NHL statements on game events. Below are two examples from last night that were posted in the “Latest News” section:

– April 13, 2008 11:05 PM ET
The San Jose Sharks’ three goals in 3:33 is the fastest three goals by one team at the beginning of a playoff game since April 15, 2000, when Detroit did it in 3:32 (Shanahan, Lapointe, Draper). The record is 1:48 held by the Pittsburgh Penguins against the New York Islanders on May 10, 1993.

– April 13, 2008 07:19 PM ET
Video Review (New Jersey at NY Rangers, 3:01, 1st period) – Good goal. New Jersey goal. Goal counts as puck went off NY Rangers (#15 - Blair Betts) stick into net. Goal was reviewed under Rule 39.4 for a kick.

ALL IN THE NUMBERS FOR WILD’S LEMAIRE
Michael Russo writes in the MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE, “When the Wild visited Calgary three weeks ago, Jacques Lemaire hitched a ride to the game on the media bus. ‘Want to see my lines for tonight?’ the Wild coach asked. Lemaire pulled out a legal-sized piece of paper, folded in half. He then flashed what looked to be 30 line combinations: 17-38-10; 12-9-96; 24-67-10; 17-38-96; 11-15-24; 19-9-92; 12-15-10 — to name a few! There were so many numbers, the sheet could have doubled as Lemaire’s Powerball picks.”

STARS’ MODANO FEELING A DIFFERENCE
Mike Heika writes in the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, “Mike Modano has noticed something different about the Dallas Stars recently. They’re loose, they’re happy, they’re confident. It’s a twist on a team that has a history of playing nervous in the postseason, of trying too hard to live up to expectations, of not enjoying itself.”

ON THIS DATE IN PLAYOFF HISTORY
April 14, 1928 - In only their second season as an NHL franchise, the New York Rangers captured the 1928 Stanley Cup with a 2-1 triumph over the Montreal Maroons in the final game of the best-of-five title series. The Rangers became only the second American team in history to win the Stanley Cup, joining the 1917 champion Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.

April 14, 1931 - Goaltender George Hainsworth blanked the Chicago Black Hawks 2-0 as the Montreal Canadiens became the second NHL team to win Stanley Cup championships in two consecutive seasons. The Ottawa Senators first accomplished the feat in 1920 and 1921.

April 14, 1942 - Brothers Don Metz (3-2-5) and Nick Metz (1-2-3) led the Toronto Maple Leafs to a record-tying 9-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings in the 1942 Final. The Leafs’ nine-goal outburst matched the Final scoring mark for an NHL team set by Detroit on April 7, 1936, in a 9-4 win against Toronto.

April 14, 1948 - The Toronto Maple Leafs repeated as Stanley Cup champions with a 7-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings, thus completing a four-game sweep of the 1948 Final. The game marked the end of a career for Toronto captain Syl Apps, who punctuated his stint in the NHL with a goal in this series-ending victory.

April 14, 1953 - Maurice “Rocket” Richard became the second NHL player to register two hat tricks in Final history, joining Howie Morenz in achieving the feat. Richard, who led Montreal to a 7-3 win against Boston, later added a four-goal performance to his record on April 6, 1957.

April 14, 1955 - Right winger Gordie Howe scored the winning goal in Game Seven of the 1955 Stanley Cup Final to lead the Detroit Red Wings past the Montreal Canadiens 3-1. The goal gave Howe a 5-7-12 scoring mark in the series, setting a new individual mark for Final competition.

April 14, 1960 - Goaltender Jacques Plante blanked the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 as the Montreal Canadiens captured their record-setting fifth straight Stanley Cup championship. The victory marked the end of a career for Maurice “Rocket” Richard, the NHL’s all-time leader with 34 goals in the Stanley Cup Final.

NHL AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES PARTNER ON MIKE MYERS FILM ‘LOVE GURU’
The National Hockey League and Paramount Pictures have entered into a strategic marketing alliance supporting the new Mike Myers comedy film “The Love Guru,” due out June 20, which features the Toronto Maple Leafs’ pursuit of the Stanley Cup under the guidance of the Guru Pitka, a self-help spiritualist played by Myers. The marketing alliance includes co-branded and co-produced spots featuring Myers and content from the film to air during NHL game broadcasts on NBC, VERSUS, CBC and TSN, online and in NHL arenas, exclusive NHL.com content and retail activations, all designed to promote the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the June 20, 2008 nationwide theatrical release of the comedy.

– View the ‘Love Guru’ commercial spot.

STANLEY CUP FINAL PLAYOFF ACCREDITATION APPLICATION NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
The NHL Public Relations department has launched an online media accreditation application to help streamline the credentialing process. Please click here to submit your credential request for the 2008 Stanley Cup Final.

– Credential applications sent via e-mail and fax are still being accepted. The application may be downloaded by clicking here. The deadline for the Stanley Cup Final media accreditation application is FRIDAY, MAY 16.

For story ideas, suggestions or comments, please e-mail the NHL TODAY

THE SCHEDULE
– Game 3: Penguins at Senators, 7 p.m. (CBC, RDS) (Penguins lead series 2-0)
– Game 3: Red Wings at Predators, 7:30 p.m. (VERSUS, TSN, RIS (Red Wings lead series 2-0)
– Game 3: Wild at Avalanche, 10 p.m. (VERSUS, CBC, RDS) (Series tied 1-1)

All Photos Copyright Getty Images 

I just didn’t have a good feeling about this game. All day, I was tenative for many reasons:

1.The Devils had way too much experience to go so quietly.

2.Both the first two games could’ve easily gone the other direction just showing how closely matched these bitter Hudson rivals are.

3.I just couldn’t envision being up 3-0 on the Devils even with home ice at what was an electric Garden. Truthfully, it was a fun atmosphere even if the team I root for lost. They have only themselves to blame.

4.You just knew the Devils would come with their best effort. They played with more edge and got the desired result to make this a series.

I could probably think of even more reasons but you can pretty much catch my drift as to why the Devils had what it took to win Game Three. Even if it was decided on one of the flukiest goals you’ll ever see. Stephane Matteau ring a bell? Sure did for myself watching from Section 411 as suddenly off a draw rookie Brandon Dubinsky won- outstanding all night- John Madden snuck in and centered the puck and got the break which his more desperate club was looking for with the puck taking a Devil-esque bounce off rookie Marc Staal’s skate past a stunned Henrik Lundqvist who never saw it coming.

If you were a diehard fan sitting or standing like myself watching it, you just couldn’t figure how the puck went in. But that’s what happens when your team plays like a bunch of wusses. It was all Devils in sudden death. And that’s what these sort of games come down to. NHL overtime is about who wants it most. On this night, Brent Sutter’s club did. They had the desperation and attacked with vigor also hitting three posts including a brilliant outside-inside move by Brian Gionta which rang off the crossbar.

Maybe that should’ve sounded off the alarms at the Ranger bench but the message never got to Tom Renney, who saw his team sit back more than the old style Devils used to. Hello? It was playoff OT! What the hell were they waiting for?

From my perspective, they basically said to the better goalie Marty Brodeur and his team:

“Here. You take it.”

That might’ve worked in the regular season against these guys but it sure won’t get it done now.

I give the Devils credit. They could’ve caved in when it was tied 3-3 late in regulation but wouldn’t mostly thanks to their future Hall of Famer in net, who saved his biggest stops for those final frantic minutes with his team’s first round hopes sinking as fast as sand in an hour glass. Brodeur’s best save had to be on Michal Rozsival, who jumped in and rocketed one labeled for the far right corner but the veteran netminder slid across and just got his stick on it to push it wide.

If that goes in, that could be it for the Devils. Maybe they go away for good. Instead, it allowed his team to regroup and play a much superior six minutes of OT before Madden’s prayer was answered with help from who’s maybe been the Rangers’ best defenseman Staal.

Go figure. Dubinsky, who netted his first two career NHL postseason tallies including the tying power play goal and Staal, who’s played like a veteran would impact the winner at 6:01.

Sometimes, hockey’s a stange game. Either way, the Blueshirts now know it’s a series and there will be a lot more riding on the line following two days off before Wednesday’s Game Four on Garden ice. By now, they realize how tough a task it will be to put these Devils away. They also to a man never thought they’d be up three zip. They’re still in an enviable position.

If there’s one thing I’d worry about from a Ranger fan perspective, it’s that usually when a series is dictated by the road team and then the road one gets an OT victory, it tends to shift the momentum. I still can recall the 2000 Flyers down 2-0 against the Pens. Keith Primeau. Once, there were the Pens trailing the Caps by the same deficit needing to turn it around on the road. With help from Petr Nedved, they did.

Will the Rangers get sucked up and have the same kind of fate or will they bounceback and show the sort of character this team’s had when their backs were up against it.

I’m calling out a few players now:

A.Paging Chris Drury. You weren’t brought in to lose every faceoff to Madden and make fans nervous. You were brought here to win those all draws and score the all important goal which changes the tide. That zero next to your scoresheet is looming larger and larger buddy. So get it in high gear. Time to find your game!

B.Paging Nigel Dawes. Yes, you scored that gimme in Game One but you’ve not been as good as you can be on the forecheck. Win some more pucks and get open for your shot which Brodeur even with perfect 20/20 has problems with. We need you also to make that key defensive play which sets up the transition and that extra pass which creates the kind of scoring chance which will have our opponent very concerned over. You and Drury have not done the job while your grittier linemate Ryan Callahan has won every battle and done so much more.

C.Paging Marty Straka. You freaking missed on a textbook give-and-go with your very inspired Czech butt buddy Jaromir Jagr. Score there like you have in the past when setup by that same great pass by No.68 and there’s a good chance we’re not talking about a loss. You are a good skater and have backed up the Devils a few times but stop overpassing the puck and shoot it already! Jagr needs you to be a threat.

D.Paging Fedor Tyutin. For whatever reason, you aren’t playing up to capability. While your partner Dan Girardi covers for your every mistake, you have been too tenative. That penalty didn’t help either buddy. Even if it was a crap call which speaks volumes about how abysmal the two-ref BHL crew really was. That doesn’t matter because you were in the box while the Devils found a way to score on the power play and get back in the game.

E.Paging Henrik Lundqvist. You were brilliant the first two games but tonight, weren’t as razor sharp as needed. In particular, that Zach Parise PPG was about as soft as a marshmallow. There was no excuse for letting that low backhand to sneak through like that. And the first goal early on wasn’t a good one either and allowed the Devils to establish themselves and gain more confidence. You must be better come Wednesday or people are going to start questioning you including this fellow blogger. It’s happened before.

F.Paging Scott Gomez. It was nice that you dominated Game One and were good again in Game Two but you were basically invisible tonight. Even if you did get a primary helper on a Sean Avery lay-up during a five-on-three, you did little else. You didn’t battle hard and dogged it frequently when challenged by former teammates. You can’t always smile and want to hug your ex-buddies during a playoff series. Time to get hungrier and impact the game with your game changing speed. That’s what you get paid for.

G.Paging Gary Bettman. Your referees are an utter disgrace. It’s clear that most don’t know how to interpret the rules and make the wrong calls. I’m not just speaking about tonight’s game which nearly derailed what was a very entertaining playoff game. I’m talking in general. There have just been way too many poor judgments being used by these officials. We saw it rear its ugly head in Newark the other night and again Saturday in Montreal helping decide games. If that’s what you want, then your sport is never going to get the respect it merits. Right now, I sit here a little baffled. Is this what you want? If we took a poll, I’d be willing to bet the old regimen isn’t pleased with the standard of officiating. Either get guys who actually grasp it and won’t make tacky calls which have no business being in the game or go back to the one ref system.

Well, guess that’s all I can think of for now. There were other games. The Caps were shutout on home ice by a more desperate Flyer team 2-0 and the Bruins got an OT winner from Marc Savard to get back in their series against the Canadiens. Oh my god. I also see the Sharks somehow managed to blow a three-goal first period lead losing 4-3 to the Flames in Alberta. Adding further injury to insult, former Shark Owen Nolan potted the winner at 16:15 of the third. Wow. What a bunch of chokers. I sure hope my team doesn’t have that same label after this series. How could I have picked San Jose? W